She took the bait!
As expected of a pampered Princess, a few provocations were all it took to make her furious. My intention was to play the bad cop, then let Ti Du play the good cop.
While there were risks involved, I worried about going too far and truly enraging the Princess to the point where she wouldn't cooperate. It was a delicate balance, especially since I hadn't fully grasped the Princess's personality yet.
Tilly was actually very fortunate to encounter such a strong individual in this place. The news of someone single-handedly repelling the Beast Kingdom's hundred-thousand-strong army had reached the Elf Kingdom, and Tilly had already considered this idea.
If they could invite this powerful individual from the Dragon Kingdom to help, wouldn't repelling Theocracy be an easy and pleasant task?
I didn't expect it to be the good deed of this Princess. According to what she just said, if she's a spy who infiltrated Theocracy, then does that mean the Dragon Kingdom's crisis was resolved with Theocracy's help?
I didn't expect the Dragon Kingdom and the Slane Theocracy to have a secret connection. Doesn't Theocracy strongly disapprove of countries like the Dragon Kingdom? To think they had a hidden, unspeakable deal!
Speaking of which... are all the people of the Magic Kingdom monsters? Even a Princess, who should be living a life of luxury, ran out to go undercover, and she possesses such strong combat power. If what she says is true and she intends to intervene in this war, then directly repelling Theocracy isn't impossible.
However, given her current identity, openly helping the Elf Kingdom is probably unlikely. And what she implied earlier was that she wanted to directly confront the Elf King.
Tilly herself had always suspected that the origin of this war, whose cause was unknown, might be due to something the Elf King did to the Slane Theocracy.
Although my grandfather was always silent on this matter, I had done some private investigations and uncovered the Elf King's secret—an absolute scandal that could not be known to outsiders.
This Princess looks quite beautiful, and she's a top-tier powerhouse, even if she's just a child. But that perverted Elf King probably wouldn't refuse anyone!
I wonder what kind of scene will unfold when this Princess meets the Elf King?
Given the Elf King's attitude towards me, they'll probably start fighting directly! The best outcome would be if this Princess could directly kill the Elf King, and then Ti Du...
Tilly looked at Ti Du with a profound expression. Although Ti Du was publicly declared her attendant, Ti Du's true identity was far from simple. She was the Elf King's own daughter!
My grandfather told me this during his serious illness, in front of both Ti Du and me. I was incredibly shocked at the time, but Ti Du seemed very calm, saying that whose daughter she was didn't matter, only that she was still the same Ti Du.
As for why Ti Du, who should have been the Princess of the Elf Kingdom, was serving my grandfather?
That's a long story.
After listening to my grandfather's description and conducting my own investigation, I basically understood the reason. Ti Du was abandoned by the Elf King after her birth.
Because... Ti Du was not the outcome the Elf King desired. That bastard Elf King had been secretly engaging in unspeakable activities, aiming to produce a child who met his requirements.
As a result... Ti Du didn't quite meet the Elf King's requirements, so she was abandoned at birth. Originally, the fate of those abandoned children was very tragic, but Ti Du was lucky. My grandfather rescued her, concealed her identity, and raised her as his own granddaughter to this day.
Soon after my grandfather revealed this secret, he passed away. It was Ti Du who urged me to flee quickly, because with my grandfather gone, that perverted Elf King would surely set his sights on me.
If I hadn't foolishly ignored Ti Du's words, I wouldn't be in this predicament. But this can also be considered a blessing in disguise!
My luck has always been good. I've found a new lease on life in this situation. If I can make good use of this Princess from the Magic Kingdom...
Perhaps I can truly overthrow the Elf King, then have Ti Du replace that pervert, and then find a way to negotiate peace with the Slane Theocracy. If this happens, the Elf Kingdom can finally find stability.
As for how to negotiate peace with the Slane Theocracy? Isn't that simple?
The Slane Theocracy should be more concerned about the Magic Kingdom than the Elf Kingdom right now. A Princess can hold back a beast army and even infiltrate Theocracy. A country with such capabilities is far more worthy of vigilance than the Elf Kingdom, which has always been outwardly peaceful!
And I even plan to directly sell out this Princess, giving her intelligence to the Slane Theocracy. Although such a treacherous act is indeed despicable, didn't the Princess just say it? The enemy of my enemy is my friend, isn't that right?
As long as my series of plans can be achieved... both Ti Du and the Elf Kingdom will be saved, and I will have done right by my grandfather, Tilly thought.
"So, you might have to endure a little more hardship soon," Ellie expressed her thoughts. It was nothing much; she just wanted to use Tilly, who was lying on the floor, to meet that perverted Elf King.
Doesn't the Elf King want to capture her? Then I'll package her up and send her to the Elf King, using this as an excuse to meet that pervert and see just how perverted he can get.
The ideal situation would be to just package her up and take her away. After all, Zesshi Zetsumei really wants to personally kill that pervert! Consider it a favor to her.
If that doesn't work, I'll just have to kill him on the spot, and then tell Tilly the real reason why the Slane Theocracy is hostile towards the Elf Kingdom. She should know what to do.
However, this time, I was indeed here as a volunteer and had no plans to incorporate the Elf Kingdom into an alliance. If I were to absorb the Elf Kingdom now, those people in the Slane Theocracy would definitely suspect me. So, this time is considered doing the Elf Kingdom a favor.
The Elf Kingdom can be asked to repay the favor at any time. And it would be best to find an opportunity to display Nazarick's might, letting those elves know what the consequences of opposing the Magic Kingdom are. That way, absorbing them later will be easier.
"It's alright. As long as this war can truly end, a little hardship for us is nothing," Ti Du said.
"I truly admire you all. Even though you're being hunted by your own people, you still want to solve problems for them? If I were you, I'd most likely choose to just run away!" Ellie said to Ti Du in a teasing tone.
"Where can we go? You must know how we elves are treated in human countries, right?" Ti Du responded helplessly.
"You can come to my country! The Ainz Ooal Gown Magic Kingdom welcomes residents of all races," Ellie said with a smile.
"All... does 'all' include non-human races?" Ti Du paid attention to the meaning of Ellie's words.
"Of course," Ellie replied without any hesitation.
"No wonder Theocracy considers you enemies. But... you accept those non-human races, yet many of those races use humans or demi-humans like us as food. Won't that cause any problems?" Ti Du asked, greatly surprised.
"No, it won't. For hundreds of years, my country has been implementing such a policy, and no problems have arisen. Even now, there are no issues. Because before the restoration of the nation, we had already experimented in a certain village. Those man-eating races can survive if given the meat of other livestock. If you don't believe me, the former Karn Village of the Re-Estize Kingdom is now territory of my Magic Kingdom. You're welcome to visit anytime!" Ellie said.
After hearing Ellie's words, Ti Du remained silent for a while. Seeing her hesitant expression, Ellie inwardly exclaimed, 'Oh no!' She shouldn't have spoken so much. If Ti Du really chose to run away, wouldn't her plan be ruined?
"If you're still reluctant, then going to the Dragon Kingdom is also an option. Although the Dragon Kingdom doesn't have the issue of enslaving demi-humans, their treatment probably isn't as good as that of humans. But it's okay, I'm very familiar with the Dragon Queen of the Dragon Kingdom. I can tell her to take good care of you."
Ellie was worried that Ti Du might just run off, so she suggested going to the Dragon Kingdom. Her real purpose was to remind Ti Du that even if she ran away, her treatment wouldn't be much better.
"Thank you for your kindness. After all, this is our home... We wouldn't choose to leave unless absolutely forced. Since there's an opportunity to go back now, we naturally must..." Ti Du didn't finish her sentence, but looked at Ellie with a very determined gaze.
"Alright! I've received your will. But you must remember, I merely want to use you elves to keep the Slane Theocracy in check. Of course, this method of restraint does not include continuing this meaningless war. I personally very much hope that you can end this completely unreasonable war as soon as possible. After all, you... no, I should say that the Elf Kingdom is involved in this war solely because of the Elf King's personal reasons. Therefore, I am unwilling to see your elven people implicated by a pervert," Ellie responded to Ti Du with a very serious attitude.
"Do you know the cause of this war?!" Tilly immediately became agitated upon hearing this.
"Of course, I know. Otherwise, I wouldn't be helping you. Although there are national factors involved, to be honest, I'm helping you more out of personal feelings. Among my family, there are two elves just like you!" Ellie said, implying that dark elves are also elves!
"What exactly is the reason?" Ti Du also looked at Ellie with a worried expression, eager to know the exact cause.
"Your Elf King abducted someone very important to the Slane Theocracy and forced her to bear his child," Ellie said.
Upon hearing this, all the elves present fell silent. They all knew that the Elf King was indeed the kind of person who would do such a thing!
"I understand, Princess. Even if you have to use us, it's fine. Please help us end this meaningless war!" Ti Du once again looked at Ellie with great determination and said.
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